184 7. J Malayan Peninsula and Islands. 919 



a few oscillating movements from side to side. Lycodon platurinus, 

 and aulicus, like many other harmless, — and some venomous serpents, 

 the pupils of which are vertically closed by the light, prepare to attack 

 horizontally coiled on the ground, with the head bent close to the body, 

 and drawn as far backwards as possible, when, suddenly uncoiling the 

 anterior part of the body, they dart obliquely upwards, but as they 

 are blinded, not always in the direction apparently aimed at, and they 

 frequently miss the aim. 



Gen. Coluber, Linne 

 Abdomen with scuta ; scutella under the tail. 



Coluber fasciolatus, Shaw. 



Syn. — Russel I. PI. 21 Nooni Paragoodoo. 



Coluber hebe, Daudin (Synon. apud Boie, Wagler, Schlegel). 

 " Cineritious grey with an obscure cast of reddish brown, particu- 

 larly about the head and neck. The back variegated by black and 

 white, or black and yellowish, narrow bands ; and on the sides are two 

 or three rows of short, separate oblique lines, formed by the yellow or 

 white edges of the lateral scales ; but in general these bands are not 

 visible on the tail. The scuta (192) and scutella (62) are of a dusky 

 pearl-colour." {Russell I. Pg. 26.) 



Habit. — Malayan Peninsula. 



Coromandel Coast. 

 A young individual, killed in Province Wellesley corresponds to the 

 description of Russell, copied by Shaw and Daudin. It has two small 

 post-orbitals, one elongated prse-orbital, one minute irregularly hexago- 

 nal frenal, and on each side 8 upper, 9 lower labial shields. The 

 trunk is covered by 21 longitudinal series of smooth imbricate scales, 

 which are rhombic on the sides, rhomboidal above, all with rounded 

 points. The teeth are of uniform size, and as Russell correctly des- 

 cribes them, very small, reflex, sharp, numerous. The dentition, 

 therefore, sufficiently indicates that the species cannot be placed in the 

 Gen. Lycodon, to which it has been referred by M. M. H. Boie, 

 Wagler and Schlegel. The young one is of the following dimensions : 



Length of the head, Of inch. 



Ditto ditto trunk , 8£ 



Ditto ditto tail, 2£ 



10| inch. 



